YOU KNOW

know (verb):to understand, to be familiar with; recognize

“You know me inside and out…” Psalm 139:15

From the inside out.

That is how our God knows us.

I’ve known myself for over 50 years, and there is so much I still don’t really know. Maybe that’s why I like going to my counselor, listening to podcasts, journaling, and having long conversations with people. I learn things. Not just about me, but about connection, about relationships, about life. About the power and grace and vastness of this God who created us, about how childhood experiences influence our grown-up values and behaviors, about what it means to be genuinely Christian at this time in our world, and about how much we have in common as we parent, age, grieve, recover, forgive, celebrate, and love.

Through talking and listening, I’m beginning to figure out what I believe and what I’m passionate about.

But God already knows.

“You know everything I’m going to say before I start the first sentence.” v. 4

We belong to a God who already knows what we are going to say because he knows our hearts and minds so well. He knows us better than we know ourselves. He recognizes us, he is familiar with us, and best of all he understands us.

He recognizes us.

He made us. He formed our bodies in the womb. He orchestrated every step of our growth and development before and after we were born. He knows our every cell, every heartbeat, every hair, every nerve, every breath…

“every bone in my body…exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something.” v. 15

He is familiar with us.

He knows our habits. He knows our happy places. He knows our regular coffee stop, the routes we walk, and what we throw in our cart at Target. And he knows our hiding spots. He knows where we run when we are ashamed, afraid, or overwhelmed. Even in the distant places where we try to get away from him, he is there ahead of us–mercifully waiting and watching for us.

“Oh, he even sees me in the dark!” v. 11

He understands us.

God doesn’t ever misinterpret us. And he is never surprised by something we say or do. What an indescribable sigh of relief to have someone who knows us completely, love us completely. His grace encompasses our worst mistakes and celebrates our greatest joys. We don’t have to pretend or cover-up or fake it–ever–when we are with him.

“I’m an open book to you…” v.1

God gets us.

Invite Him in: Let your heart, your soul be an open book to Jesus. After all, he wrote your story and is already aware of what happens on every page. He wants to walk through the good and the hard times, to be in every special and every ordinary moment with you. And you can trust him for a beautiful “THE END”. He knows.